St. Charles Borromeo Church, the oldest Roman Catholic parish in northern Rhode Island, was founded in 1846. The Victorian Gothic church was built by Woonsocket's Irish community in 1868, and in the early 1900s the interior was renovated into the "Irish Cathedral" style that remains today. The parish’s church complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

St. Charles’ ministries include music for worship, classes to teach the faith to children, ongoing adult faith education, prayer and pastoral visits for the sick and dying and assistance to immigrants, the homeless and the addicted.

The St. Vincent De Paul Society at St. Charles operates Bryan’s Food Pantry, which distributes groceries to all those in need. Currently, about 900 families are registered with the church to receive assistance from the pantry.

The church also provides a host of social services, including utility, rental and prescription assistance; budget planning; visitor services for the elderly; and immigration, citizenship and parish outreach. The parish also assists people who are caring for elderly relatives at home.